Exercise, Healthy Eating Helps Your Dog Live Longer

By Beth Taylor and Steve Brown


Our dogs have many of the same needs we do. To be at their best, they need real, fresh food in the balance that's best for their individual needs. For dogs, real food in its natural balance means meat and vegetables. Yet, all too frequently, we are advised to feed our dogs senior food, often for dogs starting as young as 6-years-old.

Veterinarians started recommending senior food years ago, when research seemed to show that dogs (and humans) with kidney problems would do better on a reduced protein diet. So, the reasoning went, we could avoid kidney failure by feeding a reduced protein diet as dogs aged.

This has not proved to be true for dogs or humans, and the big pet food companies agree. 1-4

Senior foods are higher in grain than adult foods, which will cause their bodies to increase their production of insulin and inflammatory chemicals. These foods are designed to be lower in fat and protein, with increased fiber. However, older dogs need better protein and more of it. 5 In our opinion, senior and light diets are detrimental to the health of older dogs.

If Sparky could talk, he'd tell you it's true. When we met Sparky, he was a 9-year-old stout Brittany Spaniel that was not feeling very well. His family switched from senior dry food to a fresh frozen diet as an experiment to see if a lower carbohydrate diet would help him lose weight.

In four months, he had lost about 10 pounds, and the following health issues were resolved:

Flaky coat
Itchy skin
Frequent bladder infections
Multiple aches and pains
Most of the tartar on his teeth



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Today, Sparky has plenty of energy and no longer qualifies as an old dog.

Why? A species-appropriate diet, based on meat and vegetables, provides the protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed to keep the immune system and the brain working well. Good fats keep inflammation in check and hormonal systems functioning properly.

Delaying Old Age


In a 14-year study that compared two groups of Labradors (one group free-fed and the other kept lean), lean dogs lived two years longer, and the muscle wasting associated with old age was delayed by two years compared to the group allowed to become overweight.

In addition, lean dogs did not develop arthritis until many years after the overweight dogs that began to show arthritic changes at age 2. 6 Even if your dog has not been kept lean, you may see most of these benefits when you help your dog shed those extra pounds with a meat and vegetable-based diet. It's never too late!

Those with achy and overweight dogs will be amazed to see the difference in how their dogs feel and act when they are fed meat- and vegetable-based diets. We have often seen the health of dogs transformed by a change of diet.

Dogs with common chronic medical conditions need the supervision of a veterinarian who is skilled with fresh food diets to supervise and fine-tune a fresh food diet. Almost all chronic conditions (diabetes, arthritis, irritable bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, liver and kidney problems, dental disease) will improve on a home-prepared diet designed to support the specific issue.

Learning New Tricks


Good food keeps dogs lean, but they also need exercise. If our older animals are not fit, the best diet in the world won't keep them with us.

At your spring veterinary wellness checkup, find out what level of activity your veterinarian thinks is suitable for your animals to start with, and add from there. Many conditions we have discounted as "just old age" diminish or disappear with good exercise.

Digestion improves, elimination becomes more regular, animals are less achy and their brains work better. Getting more oxygen circulating builds lungs and heart and improves overall muscle tone and general health immensely. Brisk walking is a great start, but dogs need to get moving enough to get out of breath as well.

For smaller dogs, this is easy to accomplish. Very out-of-shape dogs will get winded pretty quickly, too, but as their fitness increases, those with big dogs will need to find ways to get them really moving.

In our experience, we've also found dogs often fade away from simple boredom. With an improved diet, they are likely to feel more like being active, but they need mental stimulation as well. The following are some simple games you can play with them to do just that:

Include your dog in family activities, and play with him.

Small games like "catch the popcorn" and "find the treat" take very little human effort and provide fun and mental stimulation.

Modify activities your old guy is no longer able to accomplish so he can do them. For example, throw the ball so it lands closer to you and make sure he sees it before letting him go for it. Help him in and out of the car.

Many dogs have self-appointed tasks: Encourage them to keep at their jobs! Being needed keeps a dog happy.

Learning something new keeps dogs happy, too. It's a mutually beneficial activity. Both human and animal brains get a workout, and your connection to your dog gets even better.

Supplements abound for older dogs and cats. They may prove to be of great benefit, but more to the point is good food and good exercise. Studies have shown supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin to be of use in joint issues. Still, the need for many of these supplements is minimized once an animal is eating real food and getting enough exercise to make use of it.

If you do use supplements, look for those made with whole foods. We consider a wide range of oils (fish and cod liver oil available from Dr. Mercola's Web site) to be necessary ingredients of a good diet. And we consider them an essential food, not an isolated ingredient or supplement.

Read the book, See Spot Live Longer, for more details on commercial diets and adding real food to your dog's diet. If your dog has a specific condition, we suggest you consult with a veterinarian who is experienced with fresh food diets to fine-tune the diet to your dog's needs.

Get them moving, feed them well and engage their brains and you'll find a dog that is more interested in life and feels much better. We've spent a long time perfecting our relationships with our old dogs. Let's keep them as long as we can.